The Local Sustainability Festival will be held
Sept. 25 , 10:30 to 4:30
Hare Krishna Temple
1283 Prabhupada Rd
Sandy Ridge, NC 27046
We are currently dependent on a system that is bound to fail.
Practically all of our food and other resources are delivered from far away.
What if we knew that in 10 years the cost of fuel would rise to $25 a gallon?
What steps can be taken in preparation for that possibility?
This is the subject matter for our upcoming event.
The following Local Speakers and Activists will each give a half hour presentation;
10:30- 11:30-Brian Heagney -Wild Food Hike-For years Brian's been learning what to eat in the wild.
He hosts events where the group forages,then shares a meal. Here is a portion of his website devoted to this topic;
http://www.brianheagney.com/
11:30-Doug Gillis will tell us about American Chestnut Trees, something he has had an interest in since childhood.These used to be the dominant tree in the Eastern Forests, providing ample food for the natives and early settlers.The trunks were typically 6 - 8 feet wide.
Doug is involved with the American Chestnut Foundation. ACF is making efforts to repopulate the East Coast with a blight resistant American Chestnut by crossing them with Chinese Chestnuts.You can purchase crossed breeds but they are normally about 50% of each. ACF is developing around 95% American, which gives a sweeter nut.It's a slow process, each generation takes decades to test for blight resistance.If you would like to join ACF, Doug tells me it is a $300 donation and you will receive two American Chestnut saplings.
Here are two large American chestnut trees in Sherwood, Oregon which pioneers planted some 125 years ago. American chestnut trees reach maturity in Oregon and Washington since chestnut bark blight is not a problem on the West Coast. The tree in the foreground is about 4' in diameter and the other, a multi-trunk tree, is about 6' in diameter.
12:00-John Hartman and Kay Ritchie- Growing Sorghum, A Three Way Crop
This couple live near Danbury and have been living without electricity in their log cabin for as long as I've known them.They farm without tractors,using their horse team.
John and Kay have been growing and processing Sorghum into molasses for about 10 years now. Sorghum seed is a major grain crop in many parts of the world.Kay feeds it to their livestock including their milk cow, who is like part of the family to them.Winter squash is grown amongst the sorghum giving 3 crops in one field.
12:45-Julie Johnson-Clean Coal is a Dirty Lie
In NC we have been blessed to not have the "resource" of coal underground.
In Appalachia, thousands of communities are being threatened daily by the relentless extraction of coal. The most devastating form of coal mining is mountaintop removal, a process with which the coal industry has already blasted over 500 mountains and buried over 2000 miles of headwater streams. The EPA puts it like this:
The impact of mountaintop removal on nearby communities is devastating. Dynamite blasts needed to splinter rock strata are so strong they crack the foundations and walls of houses. Mining dries up an average of 100 wells a year and contaminates water in others. In many coalfield communities, the purity and availability of drinking water are keen concerns.
If your home is powered by city or county utility service, you might burn mountaintop removal coal on a daily basis. What is mountaintop removal doing to the residents of Appalachia's coalfields, and what are coal burning power plants doing to North Carolina's land, air and water?
1:30 Lunch and Music Break
2:30- Mitra-Sustainable Agriculture and Gandhi's Economic Proposal to India
Gandhi advised the newly independent India to focus on small scale agriculture rather than industry. Is it a sound proposal? How does it relate to us here in our county?
3:00-Luke Staengl - Appropriate Use of BioFuels.
Co-founder of the Bio-based Materials Center at Virginia Polytechnic Institute,Luke has founded and served as chief executive officer for three companies involved in converting biomass to fuel, fiber, feed and other high value products.
Here is the website for his company PescoBeam http://pescova.com
3:45-Mathura and Aravinda -Trees That Will Feed Your Family For Generations
Many of you already know my neighbor Mathura.
He runs a CSA and lives in a cob house that he built from the mud on his land. He and his wife Chitra raise cows, goats, sheep and use horses as draft animals.
Aravinda is new here.From West Virginia, he has a lot of experience growing Paw Paws and other easy care fruit and nut trees.
-If you would like to make a presentation,by all means contact me at mitradasa@gmail.com
Don't be intimidated by the high caliber people we have so far.What you are doing,however small, may prove to be a life changing experience for others when they hear your presentation.I grew my first garden on a windowsill in Chicago simply by planting Coriander seeds from the spice shelf in a tray of dirt.We all need to start somewhere, and we can all learn from each other.
Local Music !
-Jonny Colley- a singer/songwriter from nearby Eden has offered his talents while we break for lunch.He's been described as" a zen hillbilly with something to say".He was one of our featured musicians at last year's George Harrison Festival. www.myspace.com/JonnyColley
-Mamata-has compiled a large collection of simple yet exotic melodies from India.She will collaborate with local Bluegrass musicians for a tasteful blend we'll call ' Hindugrass', using Guitars, Harmonium, Banjo and Mandolin.
Live music at Local Sustainability Fest '08
A dobro and banjo I made from discarded cans.
HaraKanta's Magic Floating Corn Bread
